First Post of 2015

Welcome to my first blog post of 2015!

Not much has changed since I last posted. I lost my cats over the winter. One was found living in someone's yard in a city 20 miles away and returned thanks to AKC Reunite's microchip. The other, my Princess, is still missing. We think someone took both cats (they're quite friendly & live outdoors) and then for whatever reason, dumped one or both. Thankfully Annabelle was hand raised by me since she was 3 weeks old, so she's a people cat. They managed to catch her and a local shelter scanned her, found the chip, and then the wonderful people at AKC Reunite gave me a call and told me where to find her. We're currently working on moving her into the house, but with 3 dogs, plus trying to suddenly make an outdoor cat stay inside, it isn't going well.

I'm still trying to get things ready to move. It's easier said than done. I have to go through all of my family's boxes full of crap in the basement to see what stays and what goes. I also have to get my 3 dogs & cat medically up to snuff, which means I'll likely be posting a fundraiser soon. One dog is going on 12 with terrible teeth, arthritis, and various other issues (he came to me that way). Mika, my Chihuahua, still needs her bad knees fixed. All the dogs need shots & heartworm/flea/tick preventatives, and the cat needs the same as well as deworming. It's going to be a process, for sure. 

I decided to switch up my look a little. I've never been blond for more than 10 minutes (between dyeing my hair blue & going from blue to orange back in middle school) but I decided to give it a go. It's been almost a month and I'm really liking the change. I'm also trying to secure a membership to a good gym to try and strengthen my muscles and lose a bit of weight. I'm also hoping that my family can pay for my new glasses soon, being blind isn't exactly pleasant!

The weather here is finally getting nice, which means I have a bit more energy to do things, and I've already taken a few walks on the trails by my house. 

I'm really hoping 2015 is just as awesome, if not more, than 2014 was! 

Another day, another diagnosis.

Over the last few months, I've had an amalgam of odd symptoms I've been trying to ignore. Bad idea, I know, but I really did not want to go back to the doctor. On top of everything, I had been helping a friend after the death of his parter, and that meant a lot of watching his two gorgeous little girls while he went to work. I went from doing almost nothing, to taking care of a two year old and a 6 month old for up to 8 1/2 hours a day. Though I did things in a modified way to make it easier on me, it still was exhausting, but so worth it. Those little girls made me feel like for once I had a purpose in life, it was awesome. I've never been big on kids, I'm not fond of them at all, but these girls changed all that. When the two year old would come curl up on the couch to watch Netflix with me, or the baby would fall asleep in my arms, it was a feeling like none other, and I'm glad I could help out when it was needed most. I refused to accept anything in return for watching them, because friends help out when they're needed.

Anyways, to get to the point, I started feeling extremely run down. I thought it was just due to not being used to that kind of activity level. Then my side pain started flaring up again, so I decided to go in to see my doctor. After explaining my symptoms and an exam, things got a bit dramatic. Turns out that my radial pulse was registering as much slower than my actual pulse. I had my pulse measured both ways, three times. After that I got to have the following:

-EKG
-5 tubes of blood drawn
-A Holter monitor for 24 hours

I came back after the 24 hours to have the monitor taken off. Then last Friday I went back to go over test results.
-Low hemoglobin and hematocrit
-High Lymphocytes and ESR
Everything else was normal. So off to the lab for another blood draw, this time to do a peripheral smear.
Those results came with the fun diagnosis of normocytic anemia, which normally occurs in people 85 and over. Yay, my life.

So now I get to go back in to have more blood drawn (vampires, I tell ya!) to check my iron levels. I'm just so exhausted, no energy at all! I want to find out what's up so it can start being treated, I hate being this tired.

In other news, I'm trying to find a way to be able to see One Direction on Thursday. I have a major love of boybands, and it's my goal to see all of my favourites. So far I've seen The Wanted and Big Time Rush, but have yet to see One Direction or Union J. A lot of my friends make fun of me for my boyband love, but I've been into music basically since I was born. I was practically raised by musicians. I just happen to have a soft spot for singers, because up until a post-tonsillectomy infection in middle school, I sang all the time. I did choir concerts, solos, and performed with a singing group. I love voice as an instrument, hence my love of boybands. One Direction is one of my favourites, I watched the X Factor UK season 7, which is where 1D were formed, and I loved the boys' individual auditions (Liam's was especially gripping), as well as their first performance as a group. They've come so far, and I'd love to see them up close. I'd kill to meet them. We'll see if I can even manage to find someone with a ticket that is a. floor, so I don't have a ton of steps to climb, and b. willing to give me a deal, because I am so broke I actually have a negative income.

Anyways, I hope my fellow zebras are doing well, and I hope to actually manage to get back to regular blogging soon!
-Jess

Review: OnePiece jumpsuits, the must-have article of clothing!

Some of you may have seen the OnePiece jumpsuits before. They are quite popular with celebrities. I learned about them myself from the celebrity gossip blog I read. When I saw them, I knew I wanted to get one, and I knew that I needed to share the information with my fellow zebras.

The OnePiece was created in Norway, and is basically the love child of a hoodie and a pair of sweatpants. Roomy, with a zipper that goes from the crotch to the top of the hood, so you can cover yourself completely if you'd like. If you're like me and live in a climate that is three parts winter to one part sweltering hot, you'll see the appeal. If you're also a zebra with joint pain, you can also understand the wonder of this garment.

I sent the company a blog sponsorship request, and told them why I have this blog, what EDS is, and what it's about. I was denied, but they offered to send me one as a gift, as the lovely digital marketing director admired my story and courage. I was touched, it was a very sweet gesture. I was given four choices, all the same design but different colours. I chose this one, and it was sent out to me soon after.

When it got here, I was so excited, I put it on right away. It was comfortable, made of lightweight 100% cotton. There were two zipper pulls, fabric, and large enough that anyone could pull them. The zipper is two-way, so you can pull one slide up, and then unzip that by pulling the second slide up after it. The jumpsuit also has two huge zippered pockets. I can fit several pill bottles, large and small, in each, which is useful if you have meds that need carting around like I do. Overall the jumpsuit is nice and cozy. You can wear it over clothing or with nothing but your skivvies underneath.

My favourite thing about the jumpsuit is that it's basically made for ease of use. Large zipper pulls, baggy, roomy pockets. It kept my achy joints warm and less achy with as cold as it's been here. Honestly, if you're looking for something comfortable to lounge around the house in, this is it! To wash, zip it up, throw it in the wash under a delicate or hand-wash cycle, then hang to dry. Or just wash according to the instructions.

I happened to get a second OnePiece jumpsuit, a Christmas gift from my family that was a pre-order and didn't get here until April 1st, but it's snowy again, so it's been useful as well! This one is from the Hands By One Direction collection. Yep, at 24, I'm a 1D fan! Anyways, a huge thanks to OnePiece for the gift, I absolutely love it and will be living in it as much as possible!

Help Me Afford A Wheelchair!

I found out that insurance will not cover a wheelchair for me, just because I won't be using it 24/7! I can move around my house, with some difficulty, and walk short distances, but I can't stand for long periods of time or walk longer than a block or two. So I started a fundraiser. Please, please, PLEASE share this with as many people as you can. Post it on your blog, Facebook, Twitter, wherever. I need this to reach as many people as possible, so I can make my goal. Any leftover money after I purchase the wheelchair will go to medical bills and assisted devices.



Thanks guys!

Long Time No See.

Let's just say my new year has been... rough.

Both of my dogs had procedures under anesthesia on Jan. 25th.
On Valentine's Day, I had to make the heartbreaking decision to put Oscar to sleep.
I have been to Mayo multiple times, and my body has just not been my friend.

That's not everything, but I don't feel like diving too deep right now.

I will be posting again soon, I promise!

Employed?

I may have just acquired the most bizarre, yet amazing job ever. Will be going tomorrow to register as a business, just so I can get access to certain things for now. Probably going to have to put my product review blog idea on the back burner and start a second blog about my work.

It's nothing you'll ever expect.

Be prepared.

Happy Birthday To Me

I have officially survived 23 years.

The House of Broken Bones + Update

That's what it's been around here recently, and it has me fearing for my bones!

On Tuesday my little brother and some of his friends built a catapult at school and were launching gourds. My little brother happened to be looking at the launcher when someone jumped on it, launching a gourd into his face. After some discussion, my mom and sister stayed home while my dad and I went to the ER with my brother. After pushing for an xray, it showed my brother's nose was broken. He's probably going to have an appointment with the ENT soon.

Meanwhile, my mom has had back problems for years. She finally made an appointment with a spine specialist and had her appointment today. Turns out she's had a broken back for years. She'll need surgery soon. So obviously I'm a little worried about who's next!

As for me, I took a pole dancing class yesterday and I have pole burn, bruises, and so many pulled muscles today.

Poll For EDS, Chronic Pain, Arthritis, And Fibromyalgia Sufferers! Please Pass It Along, The More Opinions, The Better!

I am thinking about starting a second blog to review and suggest helpful products for EDS/Arthritis/Fibro/Chronic Pain, but before I take the plunge, I'd like your opinions. If you could please take the survey below, and then pass it on to anyone you know who suffers from chronic pain and ask if they could take it, that would be awesome! It's only a few questions and should take only a few seconds to complete.

Create your free online surveys with SurveyMonkey, the world's leading questionnaire tool.

Thanks so much, and I hope to give back!

Welcome to the family, Mika!

After three years of nagging, I was finally allowed to get another dog. Oscar is frequently bored and lonely, and could definitely use a companion, and my siblings wanted another dog, too.

After being rejected by one rescue over false info they refused to clarify, we finally found a good fit with a dog from Midwest Animal Rescue and Services!

So here she is!

Name: Mika
Breed: Chihuahua
Age: 11 months (we're putting her birthday at October 31st, 2010)
Weight: 9 pounds!
Color: Fawn with a couple dark patches on her tail and bum, and white toe socks

She is amazingly cute, you can learn more about her here:

#1 dog site for dogs & bipeds!

Also, I don't really have the cash to get her any cute outfits, and she's going to need them, as it's starting to get cold around here. So if you have any doggie outfits in size Medium, or other accessories that you no longer want/need, send me an email at jelsen@hotmail.com, because they'd be of great use to us!

I leave you with a video of Mika playing with a toad

STOLEN! Update

So, we gave up on the recovery of my original games. They are long gone. However, my parents have been kind enough to replace the games I lost. Now I just have to get the items and Pokemon I lost back. I will post the list again, and if you're willing to trade or can help in any way, please contact jelsen@hotmail.com

Thanks for the help and support!

Pokemon:
Celebi
Shiny Suicune (from B/W gamestop event)
Shiny Raikou (from B/W gamestop event)
Shiny Entei (from B/W gamestop event)
Spiky Pichu
Pikachu Colored Pichu
Shaymin
Arceus
Deoxys
Mew
Phione
Manaphy
Darkrai
Victini
Zoura
Zoroark

Items:
Oak's Letter
Liberty Pass
Member Card
Secret Key
Enigma Stone

STOLEN! FAQ

First off, to those of you sent here via Twitter, either from Neil Gaiman's feed or someone else's, welcome!

Now, I've gotten some questions about my previous post, and I will answer the most common ones here.


Q: Why didn't you file a police report?
A: First off, I didn't discover that my games had been stolen until several weeks later, as I had decided I was going to take a break from playing my DS for a while. Second, we are under Sheriff's department jurisdiction, and they're not so nice about small thefts like this, unfortunately.

Q: Why not just use an emulator?
A: Because I like having physical copies of the game. My DS is portable, easier to use, and made for these games. I don't want to have to use a computer to play it.

Q: Why not just buy new copies of the games and use Action Replay to get your stuff back?
A: I don't really have the cash to buy $150+ worth of games again, and using Action Replay is not only cheating, it can also damage the games, as it is not a liscenced Nintendo product. I got the games originally for the challenge and fun of working towards the goals in them, I'm not going to cheat just to catch up.


If you have any other questions, feel free to email me at: jelsen@hotmail.com

STOLEN! A Disturbing Trend Hits The Disabled Community.

It started with a story.

Specifically, this story about a disabled McDonalds employee who was duped, and had $5000 worth of his Superman collection stolen. In a follow-up piece today, it was reported that comic fans all over the world were outraged, and had taken it upon themselves to collect rare pieces and autographs to give to Mike Meyer to boost his collection once more, what a sweet thing!

But it also reminded me of a theft that happened to myself at the beginning of the summer.

Now, i'm sure many of you have heard of Pokemon, an extremely popular game from Japan. They have cards, video games, cartoons, and collectables. From the time they came to the US, I have loved the Pokemon games from Nintendo. Your goal is to collect and train Pokemon, eventually hoping to collect them all. I have been playing my games for years, working hard to catch and trade pokemon, and attending events to get pokemon you can't find in the game. I play these games as relaxation when i'm having bad pain days, I've played them in the hospital and in bed after surgeries. I have put about 4-5 years and hundreds of hours of effort into these games.

This summer, they were all stolen from me.

The probable culprit? A well regarded nanny my parents had hired to watch my siblings. Though she came with great references, because I was home during the day, I could see how she treated my siblings. She called them brats, told them to shut up. She ate all of our food and then complained there was nothing to feed the kids, when we had two fridges and four freezers that were full. She gave my mom a list of food she wanted her to get for lunches, nothing but chicken nuggets, pizza, and juice boxes. She would take my siblings to the river and then sit on the other side of the path, reading a book, not even able to see the children. After telling my mom this, and she discovering things around the house that had been destroyed, the nanny was fired after less than a month.

Unfortunately, the theft of my games was not discovered for another few weeks. Why? Because after she'd stolen my games, some of which were gifts while I was in the hospital, by the way, she put my game case back in the exact position it had been it. As I had decided to take a break from my DS for a while, I didn't immediately notice.

So what all did she take?
6 games; Pokemon Pearl, Pokemon Platinum, Pokemon SoulSilver, Pokemon Black, Pokemon Ranger and Pokemon Ranger: Shadows of Almia
4-5 years of work
Hundreds of hours of my time
Event-only pokemon, that you can no longer get, including:
Celebi
Shiny Suicune
Shiny Raikou
Shiny Entei
Spiky Pichu
Pikachu Colored Pichu
Shaymin
Arceus
Deoxys
Mew
Phione
Manaphy
Darkrai
Victini
Zoura
Zoroark

And the rare items Oak's Letter, Liberty Pass, Member Card, Secret Key, and made me miss out on the Enigma Stone.

I went to the local GameStop to see if she'd sold them, but the told me they couldn't let me see the games without a police report, store policy. I would later learn this was a lie.

I was and still am devastated by this. As someone who has trouble doing many things, these were what I was good at. Several of those games were gifts, some I'd purchased myself, but they all had meaning, and I will probably never see them again. It hurts to already have a disability, and then have someone take advantage of you because of it.

Unfortunately, there are people willing to take advantage of the less fortunate among us all the time, so beware!

EDITED TO ADD: If you have any questions, feel free to email me at: jelsen@hotmail.com

Getting A Wheelchair

Apparently I have hit that bump in the road known as, "Time to get a wheelchair".
I have no idea what i'm in for, so if you have any advice/suggestions/recommendations, let me know.

It scares the fudge outta me :/

Eff Being The Sick Girl

That was my motto today.
I managed to get out of bed and actually do something productive.
Made two calls; one to sort out paying back grant money to school, the second to set up the lovely urology procedure I need because of an evil nurse who apparently hated her job. I could've had it fixed in-office, but I prefer anything that might raise the pain level to be done under sedation/anesthesia. And finally, to top things off, I biked for 3.6 miles.
Take that, EDS!

...and then I slipped and hurt myself trying to get into my (brother's) lofted bed. I should really ask my mom again why the able bodied kid gets to sleep closer to the floor. Then again, when you're 22 and living at home, it's not a choice they give you (I don't even have my own room, haven't since I was about 15-16. Meh.)

An Update, and A Call For Prayers

First, let's talk about me. It's been almost two weeks since I posted about the Cymbalta incident, and I am still feeling the effects of that. Thankfully they are almost non-existent, but every once in a while, I notice.

I went through a very rough period after the Cymbalta incident. It seemed as if all of my medications had stopped working, and the pain was impossible to ignore, and I was not able to cope. I saw my PCP about it, and he went through his ideas for treatment with me. Most of them were medications I had previously tried that had no effect. Then he suggested raising my prednisone dose, which I told him the Mayo Rheumatologist did NOT want happening, so that was out. Finally he suggested that maybe my issues were from lack of sleep, as I hadn't slept well in months. He prescribed Valium to try and help me sleep (I can't do most actual sleep meds) and hoped that would help, otherwise we'd be back at square one.

The first couple of nights didn't work, I was taking the Valium, plus Unisom and Melatonin to try to get sleep. No dice. The third night I discont'd the Melatonin, and switched from Unisom SleepGels (diphenhydramine) to Unisom SleepTabs (doxylamine). That night I slept like a rock, had multiple dreams, and woke up the next day in complete awe of what a good night sleep could do. I hadn't felt that good in YEARS. I had energy, felt like doing things, and though I had some minor aches, they weren't even bad enough to warrant an ibuprofen. I have been feeling pretty good since, and I really hope it continues.


Now for the prayer request.
I've written about my friend Becca a few times, I met her last summer in pain rehab at the Mayo Clinic. She was diagnosed at 4 with Primary Sclerosing Colangitis. She's had two liver transplants, but is currently in need of a third. I went to visit her at the beginning of April. The first day and a half of my visit she was doing okay, and we enjoyed a wonderful warm day out. On my third day, her nausea was so overwhelming that I took her to the hospital. She was admitted, and has basically been in ever since. She was released for a day or so, only to transfer from one hospital to another that has a liver transplant clinic. She is not doing very well. Her nausea is such that she can barely eat, and they are considering putting in a feeding tube. Her quality of life right now is not so great, and I worry about her quite a bit. She is only 23 years old, and one of the most genuinely kind, caring people I have ever met. Even as sick as she is, she makes origami for other patients, and talks with them. So if you could spare a prayer, a thought, or even just some healing vibes and send them her way, that would be great.


Hope you are all well.
-Jess

Missing Meds: The effects doctors don't warn you about.

Cymbalta.
According to Wikipedia, "Duloxetine (sold under the brand names Cymbalta, Ariclaim, Xeristar, Yentreve) is a serotonin-norepinephrine reuptake inhibitor manufactured and marketed by Eli Lilly. It is effective for major depressive disorder and has been shown to be as effective as venlafaxine for generalized anxiety disorder (GAD). Duloxetine alleviates pain associated with diabetic neuropathy and fibromyalgia."


True. Doctors have been pushing Cymbalta on people since it came on the market. I personally ended up on Cymbalta after the councilor I was seeing for some various family and depression issues, suggested I speak with my psychiatrist about changing medications, as he believed my Sertraline (brand name Zoloft) had become ineffective.

So I saw my psychiatrist. She agreed a med switch may make things a little easier, and suggested I go on Cymbalta. I agreed, as I had no reason to doubt her judgement. At that time she also told me she'd like to see me back in three months, but she would be switching clinics. I agreed to follow her to the new clinic.

Fast forward to Friday, April 29th. I was on my last pill of a 3 month supply. I had forgotten to make the appointment with my psychiatrist, and there were no refills on my medication. Drat. Since I'd never previously had any problem skipping a few days of meds, I decided to wait until Monday to call. Friday was also the day I went to the horse expo with my roommate, we walked three miles, and I horribly overdid things. That night I started feeling sick.

By Saturday, my sleep patterns were a bit messed up, and I was having some light dizziness and nausea. I attributed all of that to my time spent at expo. Sunday the dizziness and nausea were worse, and I could not sleep for the life of me. Every muscle felt tense and my brain felt hyperaware of the dizziness. By Monday night, I'd had enough. At 10:30pm my roommate and I took off for the emergency room. At this time I was still attributing things to my overdoing it at expo. They gave me zofran for the nausea, it did nothing. Tramadol for the pain, more nothing. They finally gave me a shot of domperidone, and that took care of the nausea. At this point, I was exhausted, but also felt like every nerve and muscle in my body was on full alert and wide awake. By the time we got home at 2am, I still couldn't sleep.

Tuesday I woke up and felt fine for the first 30 minutes of being awake, and then it all hit me at once. Dizziness, nausea, blurred vision, brain fog, hyperaware nerves, insomnia, tremors, confusion, "zaps", profuse sweating, feeling flushed, vertigo, irritability, aggression, anxiety, headache, lethargy, nightmares, extreme muscle tension. You name the symptom. I had it. I felt like I was dying. It was while looking through my pill bottles for something, ANYTHING that might work, that I came across my empty Cymbalta bottle. It was then that I put two and two together. I googled Cymbalta withdrawal. The things I read were horrific, and yet so familiar. I was never warned about any of it.

My problems did not stop there, however. I could not get my medication refilled until Wednesday, since they would have to call in to the clinic I went to. Wednesday my symptoms had increased yet again, and I was in a constant haze. My mom called me at 7:30pm saying they had my meds, and I drove the forty-five minutes home to get them. I took one at 8pm. I returned to my apartment by 9:30 and decided to have dinner. BAD IDEA. The nausea, which had been just barely tolerable, became impossible to ignore. By 11:30pm I felt so awful that I called my mother in tears, pleading for her to make it stop. After that call, I went back to my bed, across from my soundly sleeping roommate, and spent the next hour trying not to vomit.

Thankfully, at 12:30am, the medication seemed to have entered my system, and the nausea backed off enough for me to fall into a fitful sleep. I woke up at 6am and took all my medications, including a zofran. Now that the day is wearing on, and I have had 60mg of Cymbalta in my system, I am feeling much more human. Still slightly dizzy, a tiny bit nauseous, and I have a headache, but I will take that over everything I had yesterday.

So take this story as a warning, and ask your doctor if any new medications he or she prescribes to you have side effects and or cessation effects. I wish I had know, maybe I wouldn't have had to suffer.

One Sick Puppy

I was going to make a post about my trip to the ENT on Monday, but unfortunately I've been dealing with a very sick dog all week, so I'll write about myself and the dog all at once.

Monday morning I had an appointment with the ENT about a fleshy lump in the back of my throat that was worrying me. However, the night before, my dog, Oscar, started acting out of character. He is a mini dachshund, and he was very quiet and still, which is not normal for that breed, really. He also screamed whenever I picked him up. Come morning, I drove him down to my vet and dropped him off, then headed to my appointment.

The ENT said the fleshy lump was most likely a re-growth of my tonsil tissue (I had my tonsils out years ago) and that it could be removed. After he finished examining me, he asked if I had any sinus issues. I've had sinus problems for a really long time, and so I told him yes. He asked if I suffered from sinus headaches, and again, I do. Then he asked me if it was worse on one side or the other, and I told him the left side bothered me a lot. Well, it turns out I have a deviated septum (common in EDS patients) that is pressing on one of my nasal turbinates and causing inflammation and other issues. He suggested I get a sinus CT and possibly surgery if it's fixable.

I am excited, not for another surgery, but for the fact that, maybe, I'll have fewer sinus headaches and infections! He said he could remove the tonsillar re-growth and possibly remove a couple of my lingual tonsils at the same time. I meet with him again on Monday to review my CT (I had it the same day) and talk options.

As for Oscar, he was exhibiting very bad symptoms for a dog. Extremely bloated and taut abdomen, hyper-salivation, pain, and lethargy. First the vet checked for GDV (aka bloat, and fatal if not remedied quickly) and that was negative. Then he had a barium series to check for an obstruction, which was also negative. So the vet basically said it was some mysterious gastrointestinal upset that he had no clue what it was, and prescribed Omeprazole and Mirtazapine, plus special easily digestible food.

Because Oscar has been sick and my family is refusing to do special feeding and give him medication, I've been staying at my family's house since last Friday, when I came home for the weekend and my Monday appointment. I'm really hoping he starts getting better soon, because I'd like to go back to my apartment.

Hope you all are having a better week!

P.S. My insurance dropped me, so I've been living without my Lyrica, which is not cool. They're supposed to re-add me since the law changed, but it's going to take a few weeks :(

The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly, First Week of 2011 Edition

The Good:
I left for Nebraska on New Year's Day, drove ALMOST 7 straight hours, with an hour nap at a rest stop in between. I made it safely, and was so happy to see my friend. I was only supposed to stay for two days, but I ended up staying for five. We went to various places, and she introduced me to new food, like Phở, a Vietnamese noodle soup. I even helped her treat an abscess in one of her rats. All in all, it was a great time, and I made the 7 hour trip home in one go, and got back safely.


The Bad:
When I got home, my legs were super stiff, and I was exhausted from all of the driving. I also discovered I had an abscess of my own (unrelated to me treating her rat). I also received a call today from my apartment's management company, saying I hadn't paid rent (totally forgot) and then they threatened eviction. I paid the bill online almost immediately. This was absolutely nothing, though, compared to...


The Ugly:
My first day back, I got a letter from my school. I knew it was coming, but it still hurt like nothing else. I received a one year academic suspension, effective immediately. This is because, for more than one semester, my GPA has been below 2.0. Now, I do realize that part of this is my fault, but some of it can be attributed to my health and also to some shady stuff in one of my classes, and a worthless instructor in the other. The letter stated that I could file a petition for reinstatement, but with my record, it's probably about a 10% chance they'll reinstate me. I am devastated, I have been giving it my all this year. I finished filling out the petition today, and will have to drive up and turn in it by the 12th.


All that said, I am looking forward to try #3 at having a 22nd birthday party for myself, which is going to be this Saturday. I'm hoping for good weather, and NOT another blizzard! 


Hope you are all well, Happy New Year, and I wish you guys the best!

Rehab Friend Reunion!

Tomorrow I start the new year by driving down to Nebraska to visit a friend from pain rehab. The trip is gonna take 7+ hours, which I am really not looking forward to. At least I get to use my mom's awesome car.

Wish me luck!